Introduction: Revisiting “Truth” in an Era of “Post-Truth”

Abstract

Several strands of academic discourse have introduced post-truth as a descriptive concept characteristic of the era in which we find ourselves. This special issue examines the meaning and psychological implications of post-truth by revisiting the concept of truth on which it is dependent. We acknowledge that there are many ways of understanding truth (that is, various truth concepts) and that the issues at stake have been raised repeatedly. However, we think it important to reflect on the questions anew in response to contemporary political, social and scholarly developments. Because of the complex nature of our questions, we invited scholars who contribute different points of view on the nature of truth and the implications of “post-truth,” and who approach the questions from a set of very different positions. The “story” that structures the special issue begins with a traditional defense of truth rooted in Greek philosophy and proceeds through a contemporary strong turn to narrative as a foundation for psychological research. In between, we cover varieties of realist, constructionist, hermeneutic, and pragmatist accounts of truth, offering a rich grounding for “revisiting” truth and its broader social and psychological significance.

Notes

1 Giuliani made this claim in the context of explaining to Chuck Todd that he opposed President Trump providing testimony to Special Counsel Robert Mueller because of the possibility that the president would perjure himself in the process of providing testimony. Mr. Todd asked how it was possible to perjure oneself if one is telling the truth. See Morin & Cohen, 2018.

2 We are disappointed that we were not able to include the voices of more women in the special issue. We invited women who were not able to offer a contribution at this time, and we consider this an unfortunate limitation of our issue.